


Why Do You Do It? -  Sirius Black

by Purple_Timmer_19



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Detention, Do you want this to have more chapters?, I don't know what to do with this, I don't know what year this is in, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Maybe cliffhanger?, One Shot, Pranks, Sirius Black Needs a Hug, Sirius has a bad home life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 16:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30007653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_Timmer_19/pseuds/Purple_Timmer_19
Summary: Sirius has detention with a curious Minerva McGonagall. Snape happens to walk in on the tail end of their conversation and finds out about something.This is currently a one-shot, but if you want me to do anything or add a chapter let me know in the comments.Also, I've only read the first six books of the series, so don't spoil anything for the last book please. I'm reading it.Let me know what you think :)
Kudos: 7





	Why Do You Do It? -  Sirius Black

**Why Do You Do It?**

Sirius sat in McGonagall’s office even after James left. He had an hour more detention than James for the next three Saturdays because he had set some fireworks off in the bathroom when James was showering. Hey, it was funny. 

After about five minutes of Sirius’s quill scratching out ‘I will not light the shower curtain on fire’ McGonagall spoke.

“Why do you do it?” She asked. When Sirius looked up at her in confusion she clarified. “Why do you pull pranks and rude jokes in class? I know that Mr. Potter plays pranks because he doesn’t like a person or needs entertainment, Mr. Lupin and Mr. Pettigrew play pranks because you and Potter drag them along with you, but I have no clue why you do it.”

“Same as James.” Sirius said, though he didn’t meet her eyes.

He didn’t want to tell her. He didn’t want her to know that he was hexed by his mother, or how he was always second best to his brother. He didn’t want her to know that the reason that he was always so loud and put his two cents into every opinionated situation was that he grew up in a place where he had to be quiet and his voice didn’t matter. He didn't want her to know that he played pranks so people would notice him and know that he was there, because he was ignored and alone at his house. He didn’t want her to know that he didn’t consider 12 Grimmauld Place his home or that he didn’t consider the Blacks his family, merely the place he lived and whom he lived with. He didn’t want her to know that he became a completely different person over the summer, because he was forced to. He didn’t want her to know that he actually hated the disappointed look on the professors' faces when he broke the rules because it was too similar to the disappointed look that the Blacks would give him whenever they saw him. He didn’t want anyone to know, and so far, no one did. 

And he liked it that way.

Just like he liked Rock and Roll and yelling and talking because it was loud. Just like he liked playing pranks, because he could laugh (and make other people laugh), and he liked making people laugh because his family were smile stealers and didn’t like laughing, just evil cackling. Just like he liked making rude jokes in class, because his mother would never approve, and he just said without thinking. Just like he liked being different from other people, because he could be who he wanted to be instead of the person that the Blacks were trying to make.

“I don’t think you do it for the same reasons that your friends do, Mr. Black.” McGonagall said. So she  _ had _ picked up on the lie. She also picked up on the slight wince in Sirius’s eyes when she called him ‘Mr. Black’. 

“You can tell me, Sirius. I won’t tell anyone, and I want to help you. You can tell me more if you want, or not, but just tell me why you actually play pranks.” She offered. She  _ did _ want to help, because she could tell that he was in emotional pain and she hated it. She hated that he was so good at hiding it, too. 

“I-I play pranks because I like to see people laugh, because the Blacks steal everyone’s laughs. I play pranks because I want people to know that I’m there, because I’m ignored at home. I’m loud at school because I can’t be at home. I say my opinion at school because it doesn’t matter at home. I… I’m rebellious because I don’t want to be like the mould that they’re trying to shove me in.” He said quietly, not looking up from his lap. Whatever McGonagall was expecting, it wasn’t that.

Little did they know that Severus Snape had walked in (having a question about the transfiguration essay) and had heard the tail end of the conversation, learning why his classmate played pranks. It didn’t excuse his behavior, but it definitely did explain it. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is currently a one-shot, but if you want me to do anything or add a chapter let me know in the comments.
> 
> Also, I've only read the first six books of the series, so don't spoil anything for the last book please. I'm reading it.
> 
> If you want more Harry Potter things, check out my cousin The_Dementors_Kiss. I've got some Percy Jackson stuff, but I don't like most of it.
> 
> Let me know what you think :)


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